Chapter （Shintarō）
Shintarō
Elyna was an affectionate woman. She was always seeking contact, whether with fingers roaming over his skin, lips reaching for his jaw or her arms wrapping around his waist while he cooked.
At first, Kazuki had been startled. He’d never seen his parents cling to each other despite the love they shared. Nor any couple in his entourage.
But Elyna claimed with her body what words didn’t convey with enough strength.
The surprise was short-lived; now that he’d got a taste of her sensuality, he craved it. And dreaded the bleak months that would inevitably part them. I will not bow to the future’s will. The present was the only moment to live in, and thus, he enjoyed every second of Elyna’s undivided attention.
Tonight was no exception to the rule; the young woman was plastered to his back like a turtle shell as he stirred the pot on the stove, her head resting against his shoulder blades.
Her lithe fingers played with the hem of his shirt until a hand slid underneath to settle on bare skin. Kazuki almost jumped.
So distracting! The fragrance of miso and freshly chopped vegetables wafted up his nose, but he found himself far more aware of the warm body pressing against him than of the next steps—namely, to keep the soup from boiling.
When his phone buzzed on the counter, he was quite ready to fling it into the pot for the crime of wrenching him away from Elyna’s embrace.
But one glance at the screen was enough to rip a groan from his throat.
Katayū Makoto. Despite their solid friendship, there was no spurning the Vice Principal.
If only because he never called without a good reason.
Kazuki sighed, prying Elyna’s hands from his waist with some reluctance. “Give me a second.” He grabbed the device. “It’s the Vice Principal.” Then “Moshi moshi.”
As usual, Makoto cut right to the chase. “Friday afternoon works better,” he said, sounding fatigued. “Three o’clock? I know it’s late notice.”
“No problem at all,” Kazuki replied. “Just the spring curriculum adjustments?” He leant against the counter to admire how naturally Elyna moved around his kitchen, as though she’d always been there.
Too bad it was their last day together. He would enjoy their evening and subsequent night to the fullest.
“Hai. We’ll go over everything then.” Paper rustled on the other side. “Is Shintarō there, by the way?”
“No, he’s returning tomorrow.” And as much as he liked his flatmate and friend, Kazuki was not eager to cut short this time in paradise.
“'Taku!”, came Makoto’s frustrated exclamation. “He forgot to input his evaluations again before leaving.” Kazuki couldn’t help but chuckle. “Bah, you know he’s hopeless with technology. I’m sure he wrote them in the system…”
“Which doesn’t help! What am I supposed to put in the file? Forgot to press ‘OK’ so your kid is probably doing fine?” Kazuki smiled at Makoto’s sheer exasperation and slid a glance at his golden lady diligently watching the miso soup. “I’ll tell him to get on with it as soon as he’s back.”
“Damn right! And bash him in the head for me…”
“Always happy to oblige,” he responded, suddenly distracted by the bubbling sound coming from the kitchen. Kazuki straightened, gesturing for Elyna to turn off the stove with his free hand while Makoto ranted on administrative nonsense.
“Oi! Sano!”
Shit, I probably zoned out. Duly chastised, he apologised. How easy it was to forget the colleague on the line when Elyna cut such a domestic figure in his kitchen. “Ah, er. Anything specific you want me to prepare beforehand?”
“The usual. We’ll handle the rest on Friday.”
Makoto droned on a few other details, all of them lost as his stomach plummeted: Elyna was reaching for the pot with her bare hands. He bit back her name just a second too late. “El … no!” Her sharp “Ouch!” cut through everything else, the pot clattering on the stove.
Kuso!
He crossed the kitchen in two strides, phone discarded on the counter as he yelled, “Call you back!” Elyna was cradling her hand, and he rushed it underneath cold water.
“Baka,” he muttered, chest tightening in fright.
“It’s alr…”, she started. Kazuki’s eyes widened in panic and he set his finger on her mouth. Elyna froze, hand stuck underneath the stream of cold water as he reached for his phone to end the call properly.
I’m busted either way.
Exasperated, he squinted to assess the damage on Elyna’s skin. “How can you be so graceful and so clumsy at the same time?”
Her breathless laugh didn’t reassure him. “It happens when I get distracted. And you, sir, are very distracting in casual clothes.”
Kazuki shook his head at her audacity. “Unbelievable.”
And despite her heartfelt protest, he dragged her towards the bathroom to care for the burn. Elyna followed, bashful, and presented him the wound so he could take note that it was, indeed, absolutely minor.
His fingers were gentle as he applied cool gel over reddened skin, his touch lingering as he covered every exposed millimetre. That simple act was enough for his shoulders to relax; wound care soon turned into a massage.
Kazuki marvelled at the length of Elyna’s elegant fingers, palms sliding against hers in long strokes that sent want through his belly. She stifled a slight moan that stirred his blood.
Enjoy their time to the fullest, huh?
One look at those impossible blue eyes was all it took; an instant later, he was lost. The kiss was inevitable.
Then his hands followed, sliding under the waist band of that delicious pair of fluid pants that moulded her every curve.
An instant later, he was trapping her against the wall, utterly lost in desire.
Elyna melted against him, allowing his hips to pin her to the cool tiles. He was drowning in her touch, her mouth, her moans… Just the two of them, the world forgotten. He could have stayed there forever, lost in the warmth of her embrace.
Which made the sound of his front door opening all the more ground-breaking.
“Oi, Kazu! You home?”
Shintarō’s slur felt like a bucket of ice water. Kazuki backed away so abruptly that he had to catch Elyna at the last second; she draped herself over his arm to find her footing. His mind raced in panic, wondering if he’d confused the date.
Wasn’t Shintarō’s return ticket on the 3rd? A familiar groan echoed in the corridor and he almost responded in kind; his flatmate sounded utterly wasted, and it wasn’t even 5 pm.
Danger curled in his spine. Kazuki squared his shoulders; if push came to shove, he was quite ready to wrestle Shintarō into bed.
“I’ll clear the way,” he whispered to Elyna, leaving her hidden.
He stepped in the hallway with the purpose of a soldier marching to war, intercepting Shintarō before he could run to the bathroom. The effort to appear casual when fire flared in his veins and panic in his mind was monumental, but Kazuki was nothing if not controlled.
“You’re early,” he deadpanned, lifting an interrogative eyebrow. Shintarō squinted at him with drunken suspicion. “I’m so done with interrogation…”
Ah, the usual fight then.
Trust his roommate to drink himself into oblivion to withstand unwelcome family pressure. Kazuki exhaled slowly, trying to keep his cool. Underneath the fear of discovery, a different emotion was surfacing. I could have done without the drunken walk of shame, mate. But I get it.
The humiliation of Shintarō’s state swirled in his belly, alongside the deception of cutting his time with Elyna short. Defeated, he guided the drunk man towards his room with practised ease. “Go sleep it off, you big oaf.”
Shintarō responded something that suspiciously sounded like an insult and a term of endearment. Kazuki slammed his door without mercy.
Coast is clear.
Elyna was already slipping out and rushing to his room to gather her belongings.
He watched, helpless, lingerie and clothes being flung in her sports bag.
All those little tokens disappearing. The futon was soon empty of her presence; his heart clenched, thinking about that last night he was counting on.
He felt unbalanced, as if the ground was crumbling underneath his feet. Yet, the fragrance of her skin lingered, and so did the smell of her jasmine shampoo.
Kazuki suddenly froze; there were specks of her everywhere. That second mug half-filled with hot chocolate on the counter, that dishrag folded differently, her scrunchie forgotten on his nightstand, and many, many of her blond hairs scattered across the living room. And the fridge…
Kuso, the marzipan and her favourite snacks.
To think he couldn’t even vacuum for fear of awakening Shintarō! Mind spiralling out of control, he suddenly found himself facing Elyna, overnight bag balanced over her shoulder. Her smile was sad, and he kissed it away with abandon, unable to let her go.
They moved to the genkan where Shintarō’s shoes lay beside hers—thank Kami-sama he was drunk!—tongues tangling until the door was at her back. The kiss became desperate, full of the passion and frustration. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.
“Kazu,” she eventually breathed. “My Tsuki.” He dropped his forehead against hers; his heart refused to settle. Then he breathed in her scent one last time, trying to memorise it.
Neither of them moved to open the door.
“I…” Elyna murmured, voice catching in her throat as she found his desperate gaze. “I wanted to say I had a…” She seemed to look for the right word, but it wouldn’t come. Her fingers cupped his jaw lovingly, touch conveying a thousand meanings instead.
“I don’t know how to say it, but it was incredible to be here with you,” she eventually confessed, emotions dancing in her eyes.
Those ocean pools, turning liquid for him, squeezed his heart past the point of pain.
In the hallway lights, she looked utterly helpless.
“You’re everything I never knew I needed,” he confessed in turn.
His hands slid up her spine to pull her against him one last time.
“I’m afraid you’ve ruined me for anyone else. ”
Elyna pressed herself against him, her warmth seeping through his t-shirt. “Good,” she whispered against his throat, breath hot on his skin. She licked her finger, and touched his cheek gently. “I told you you’re mine.”
There was no need for grander declarations as the words hung between them. His fingers tangled in her hair, tilting her face up for another desperate kiss. It would be the last, as noises coming from Shintarō’s room announced impending doom.
Kazuki jolted; they couldn’t risk it—not even for another moment. Elyna’s last caress upon his nape was almost enough to ease the ache of watching her slide into the corridor.
Almost.
The front door clicked shut behind her, and he set his forehead against the wood to keep himself grounded.
Separating was as painful as it was unnatural; his body screamed in protest, every muscle fighting against the urge to throw the door open and run after her.
When would they have this again? Days? Weeks? Would it ever happen?
An insistent ache settled in his chest. For a moment, Kazuki just stood there, running his hands through his hair as he fought to breathe normally.
Suddenly, the full weight of what he needed to do hit him then.
They would have to play their parts, the careful choreography of keeping their secret when all he wanted was to claim her openly. The looks that couldn’t linger, the smiles they couldn’t share, the touches they’d have to steal between breaths. How would he handle it? How would she?
A question for another time; for now, every trace of her had to disappear.
Elyna: I’ve nearly been discovered ??
Aksel: how come?
Elyna: Kazu’s flatmate came in early. And piss-ass drunk. I hid in the bathroom.
Aksel: … phew. You’re lucky he didn’t barge in to throw up, or worse
Elyna: ??